Galactic Hope
by NoLionsInTokyo
Summary: Post season 2. Things would be going a lot better for the Legion if Brainy was still around.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Here's the first chapter of my rewritten version of Galactic Hope. Hopefully, the characters will be more developed and y'all will actually get to know some of my OCs. I will try and post one or two chapters a week, but no promises.**

Superman POV

A tremendous explosion rattles the Legion's cruiser. Everyone either drops to the floor or falls toward it. Kell and I are thrust back into our own minds. I can barely make out the voices of other Legionnaires yelling across the ship, trying to figure things out before everything goes black.

I wake up hours later in the ship's med-bay, greeted by Saturn Girl. She smiles at me relieved.

"Glad you could join us, Clark." She says. "Everyone's been placing bets on who would wake up first, you or Kell." She laughs, though a bit nervous.

I look over at Kell, who is still unconscious. "Well, I guess whoever chose me won." I conclude.

She smiles sadly. Something's up. Something that she doesn't want to tell me.

"Um… Where's Brainy?" I ask. "He Kicked Brainiac 1.0 out of his mind, Brainy should be back with us, good as new, right?" I continue.

Saturn Girl looks away and doesn't answer. Immediately I go into panic mode.

"Imra, what happened? Is Brainy okay? He has to be okay, right? What-?"

"Clark," She says gently, "there's no easy way to say this. It's affected us all greatly, but… I- I don't think that… I think he's gone."

I look at her, dumbstruck. There's no way that Brainy's gone. No way! He's too stubborn!

"No…" I whisper.

"What Clark? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear that." Imra replies.

"No!" I shout this time. "He's not gone! He couldn't be! He's too stubborn to die!" I yell, attracting a lot of attention from the other Legionnaires.

"Clark, I'm sorry, but that explosion would've killed anyone who was out there. In a way, we're lucky that every Legionnaire who had been in the field had been digitized, otherwise they would've been vaporized too. I'm glad they reappeared later though." She tries explaining to me.

"No, Brainy might've created the explosion. On purpose, y'know? To try and get rid of Brainiac 1.0 for good. Brainy can survive any explosion, the times in the lab prove it! I- I'll just go out and look around. I'll find him, I'm sure of it!" I argue as I try and get up.

"Aah!" I yelp. I feel a painful ache in my chest. I try to stand and my vision goes spotty. I don't remember falling, but next thing I know I'm face to face with the floor.

"Clark, you're too weak to stand, there's no way I'm letting you leave this room, much less the ship. Fighting Brainiac on a mental level took a lot out of you." She says sternly, sounding kind of like Ma.

"Well has anyone even tried looking?!" I protest as she helps me back into the bed.

"Yes," she says sadly, "Al and Brin were out there for a good five hours before Garth decided they were also riding on false hope and had to drag them back onto the ship, quite literally." She explains.

"Oh…" My heart begins to sink. Unless either of them didn't finish looking, It's not like them to leave anything unchecked. If they couldn't find Brainy, I doubt I will.

"Oh." I repeat, realization finally dawning on me. Brainy was gone. Brainy was gone and there is nothing that the most powerful beings in the known universe could do to change that.

 **Reviews are appreciated, and I am going to ask that I get a few before the next chapter goes up. The more reviews, the sooner I post and the more inspired I am!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter two, just because I'm feeling nice right now. Rules for reviews will come into effect after this chapter.**

Brainiac POV.

I awake in the middle of nowhere. Literally. On all four sides of me my sensors detect noting.

Wait- I was in error. There is a debris field around me, but aside from that, there is nothing.

My memory banks are not registering. I do not know what I am doing or how I arrived at my current location.

I begin to collect myself, my armor reforming at my command. Soon my auditory sensors are online, however they do me little good out here in the void of space. Next I feel my limbs begin to reform. My pressure/touch sensors are up and running. It seems that all of my systems have repaired themselves. All except visual receptors.

It is another 2.364 seconds before I can register my surroundings visually. Adequate timing, considering that I am scavenging parts for my armor out of the wreckage around me, however I must address any slow systems later.

Data suddenly begins to flow to my memory banks. I begin to register all of the events of the past few days. I had control of Brainiac 5, but he had retaken his mind. How was I suddenly a physical being again? I file this question away, it is a query for another day.

I survey my surroundings for the first time since I came online approximately 6.391 minutes ago.

It is then when I see the boy. He is floating about one hundred meters in front of me, diagonally to my right. He makes no movements. His mouth hangs open, eyes closed. I scan his form for a heat signature or other life signs. He is cold, like the space around me.

A sinister smile graces my normally stoic features. The boy who had kept me locked away within him had finally gotten what he wanted. He was a human now, but at what cost?

That is a rather easy question. The cost: his life. I allow myself a moment to relish my victory before I head into the depths of space to gather myself and ponder what the next logical course of action would be.

Although I know it will do little good, seeing as sound cannot travel in a vacuum, I state the truth to the universe.

"Evil does not die, it evolves."


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Season 2 is on iTunes! I just rewatched Dark Victory and it made me so happy :3**

 **onward to the next chapter!**

Unknown POV

"What… what in the stars is that?" I whisper to myself.

On the horizon there a is a giant flash of light. My guess is another wreckage. It'll take me awhile to get there, two or three days at least, but I head off in that direction, hoping to find something worthwhile.

A few days later, I am shocked. There is some pretty good stuff here, no bodies though. Perhaps they were automated crafts? I find that unlikely, we're too far from the industrial center for that kind of tech. I continue to rummage through all sorts of debris and wreckage. As I am moving past a particularly large bundle of the stuff, I am met by a shocking sight.

There's one body. One single crew member left from the wreckage. Instantly I attempt to connect to his mind via my telepathic implants. If I can do that, he's still alive.

Hello?

Can you hear me?

Oh, please don't be dead! You can't be dead if I can link our minds, right?

I need to get him to the ship. That is the first coherent thought to cross my mind after I got over my shock.

I'm still somewhat dumbfounded. A boy, a green boy at that, floating out in space, with no visible protection at all! Either he's crazy or invulnerable. Maybe both, seeing as they tend to go hand in hand.

Even though he appears to weigh much more than I could ever carry back on my homeworld, the void of space makes him weightless, and with the help of my homemade jet boosters I haul him back on board my ship. However, once the airlock closes, getting him to the makeshift medical bay is another story.

Miraculously, I am able to drag him through the short corridors of my spacecraft and lie him down in the nook that doubles as a hospital bed.

I debate whether or not I should use some of the oxygen tanks I have in hopes of reviving him. At this point I know nothing about him. He could be crazy, he could be half dead! My telepathic implants were able to connect with his mind, though, so that had to be a good sign.

Hope wins out over doubt, and I place an oxygen mask over his mouth. He immediately begins to breath, almost violently, like he never has before in his life.

Despite the fact that he is taking rather deep breaths for an unconscious person, he does not wake up. After about eight minutes of pure oxygen I decided that maybe he's had enough. After all, I don't know where he's from, it could be hurting him. As soon as the mask is off of his face he calms considerably.

I continue to give him a regular check-up as soon as he's calmed down. As far as I can tell, nothing is broken or bruised. Also very strange, especially considering that he was in the middle of one of the biggest wreckages I've encountered on my travels. I make a mental note to question him later. Once he's awake, that is.

Seeing as there's nothing else I can do for him, I decide to busy myself with checking my route. I'm not really headed anywhere, just away. I don't really care where I go for the time being. I will have to stop soon so I can get more supplies. Maybe I'll get a job for a week or so as well, I'm running low on funds.

After making sure that the horizon is clear and I'm staying within United Planets boundaries (for now), I realize that I haven't eaten since this morning, just before I set out the scavenge the wreckage and encountered the green boy.

I pause in the hallway. I need to stop calling him "the boy" and "green boy." I decide that until I learn his name I need to come up with a name of my own for him. I'll call him Nature Boy for now, considering he's green and a lot of worlds have green plants. Who knows, maybe he has some weird connection to plants, although it sounds rather silly to me. I honestly just want to be able to assign him a title until I know his name, I don't really care what it is.

I reach into my cupboard and grab my last box of spiral mac'n'cheese, something I picked up on my last stop at Earth, and a personal favorite. I might backtrack just to get more.

I've made my dinner and I was about halfway through my bowl when I heard whimpering come from the next room over: the med bay. I still have a little mac'n'cheese left in the pot, but I reluctantly put it in a storage container and refrigerate it for the time being. Nature Boy could be coming to, and that's not something I would want to miss.

I sit there next to him, waiting for something to happen for about three hours. All Nature Boy does is toss and turn. He must be having a nightmare. Poor guy.

I look at my clock, which is still set to my homeworld's regional time. It reads 25:47. I hadn't realized how late it was until I looked at the clock, and I certainly didn't notice how tired I was until then either.

I yawn and head up to the small loft the serves as my bedroom/workspace. I glance back at my passenger. He's still tossing and turning in the little nook, but at least I know he's alive. It might be a nice change of pace to have a friend around. I put aside the suspicion I didn't know I had against him and smile.

"G'night, Nature Boy." I yawn.

Even though he doesn't reply verbally, he stops tossing around in the bed, and that's good enough for me. I head off to my room for another dreamless night.


	4. Chapter 3

**Hello, how are you? I'm well, thanks. Weekly update, not much to say. I'm sleepy, goodnight.**

Unknown POV

I woke up late. I know it's late because I can barely move when I get out of bed. I want to fall back down and just sleep the day away, but a girl's gotta eat, so I manage to work up the steam to walk down to the kitchen.

I glance over at Nature Boy. He's still asleep. I hope that maybe he'll wake up at one point today, but I really don't know. I've never met a green person before, so I have no idea of how his body is supposed to work. For all I know, he's not even supposed to wake up, although I figure that's highly unlikely.

However, six hours later, my fears are allayed as I hear a small yelp from the med bay.

"Wh-where am I?!" Nature Boy squeaks, sounding like a frightened kitten.

I repress the urge to laugh as I run in. He turns towards me when I enter the room and yelps again, attempting to move away from me, only to encounter the wall.

"Don't hurt me!" He begs, shielding his face with his arms.

Suddenly I don't feel like laughing anymore. What could've happened to him in order for him to just automatically assume I wanted to hurt him?

"It's okay, I won't hurt you. I promise." I say.

He looks up at me with startled emerald green eyes.

"I promise." I repeat, hoping my voice sounds reassuring rather than stern.

He takes a few shaky deep breaths to try and calm himself down. His voice is a bit more even when he speaks again.

"Who… who are you?" He asks.

I smile. Now we were getting to the one thing I really wanted to know: names.

"I'm Kreela." I say. "Who are you?" I ask. It must have sounded more accusatory than I had planned, because he shrunk back against the wall and did not answer my question.

Nature Boy pulled his knees up to his chest and began taking deep breaths once again. So many questions were going through my head at that moment.

Who is this stranger that's afraid of his own shadow?

Where's he from?

Why won't he answer my question, is he scared?

I realize that the last question was probably what would be considered a "stupid question." Of course he was scared! I would be if I woke up in a strange ship with a strange girl looking at me. I don't exactly look 100% humanoid, but neither does Nature Boy, considering he's green and all. I spent so much time dwelling on this information that I didn't notice at first when my telepathic implants started going nuts. They were programmed to signal me whenever someone who was in my care was in great distress. I must have subconsciously decided that Nature Boy was in that category, because one look at his face and you could see all his emotions.

Confusion, doubt, sadness, anxiety, pain, fear. Fear. Oh X'hal he's afraid, not just of his situation, but of me. I realized that his fear was building with each passing second that I just stood there and stared at him. I sat next to him and carefully (read: awkwardly) put one of my arms around him, so not to startle him and so he had a chance to pull away if he wanted to. He jumped and tensed up at the initial touch, but otherwise didn't move.

"Are you okay?" I ask gently. He shakes his head.

"Do you… do you want to talk about it?" I ask hesitantly.

"With Imra." He replies, almost desperately.

For a minute I'm confused, but then I realize that Imra must be somebody he knows; one of his friends.

"I'm sorry, but Imra isn't here. I don't know who she is or where she is." I say.

The look of sadness on his face that appeared after I had informed him of this almost made me want to cry. Almost. Still, I wanted to go find this "Imra" for him, whoever she was.

"They left me?" He asked. He looked to be on the verge of tears. Sounded like it too.

"Who?" I asked. I was mentally kicking myself. Now was not the best time to be curious.

Despite the insensitive question, he answered.

"The Le- my… my family." He was now silently crying. Tears were rolling down his cheeks, but his voice didn't crack and he wasn't sobbing like I had expected him to.

I pulled him into a hug before I could think of anything else, or even register my own actions. He gasped at the touch like before, almost as if he wasn't used to physical interaction, but as soon as he registered what was happening he hesitantly hugged me back. Once he had released his hold on me I pulled back from him and smiled gently.

"I'm sorry that they left you." I said. "If you'd like, you can stay with me." I offered. I knew it was probably a lame offer, I was still a stranger to him and would most definitely not be able to replace his family, but if they left him I didn't want to leave him behind too.

He pondered that for a moment before nodding, hesitantly at first, but eventually smiled and looked up at me.

"I would like that. Thank you." He answered.

"Okay, but I do have some rules." I said. "The first one is knowing my roommate's name." I say.

"Oh," he said, thinking about it for a few seconds. "Querl." He finally decided. "Querl Dox. My… friends… call me Brainy."

Suddenly everything clicked. Brainy, as in Brainiac 5, as in a Legionnaire. Imra must've been Imra Ardeen, Saturn Girl. I'd heard about everything that had happened over the news feeds this morning, and how he was assumed dead. The Legion was still a new concept to me, being from a Rimworld, but I'd soon learned who the "big-wigs" were and what their roles were. Brainiac 5 was the scientist, a Coluan. I had thought that Coluans were androids, or maybe cyborgs, but Querl seemed pretty real to me.

I looked at him to see if he was joking, even though I highly doubted it. As I had expected, he was completely serious when I looked in his eyes.

I spoke before I could stop myself. "Everyone thinks you're dead." I say. I wanted to slap myself. He was emotionally unstable at the moment, telling him he "died" is not a good idea.

He looked at me and his face fell. "So everyone knows now?" He asked, avoiding my eyes.

"Well, anyone who listens to the news, yeah." I reply.

He sighs sadly. "I guess I'll be going then." He resolved as he began to walk unsteadily toward the airlock, leaning on the wall for support.

I then realize what he thinks is going to happen. He thinks I'm gonna kick him off the ship and out into the void of space, so he wants to leave out of his own power. No way I'm letting that happen! The Legion, the only family he ever had, just left him out there in the debris field, assuming he was dead! He has nowhere to go, nowhere except here.

"I never said you had to leave." I reassure him gently.

He turns around and looks at me, face filled with shock. "Really? Does that mean I can stay?" He asks in disbelief.

"Sure, as long as you can follow the imaginary rules." I say, laughing.

He smiles, and it's the first real smile I've seen on his face. It makes his features glow.

"Thank you." He says gratefully.

I want to hug him again, but the moment is ruined when his stomach grumbles unnecessarily loud.

"Hungry?" I ask, laughing.

"I guess so. I haven't really eaten yet." He replies, face flushed a dark green color from embarrassment.

"Well, duh. You just woke up." I joke.

He, however, is completely serious. "No, I mean I've never eaten." He said.

I look at him, completely shocked.

"What?" I ask.

"I'll explain later, but-" he was cut off by his own stomach growling, "-maybe I can explain over a meal?" He asks sheepishly, cheeks flushing a dark green.

I laugh. "Sure. I have some leftover mac'n'cheese from dinner yesterday. It's all yours." I say, as we walk off to the kitchen together.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: So I was reading back through this, editing and whatnot, and I read the last line of the Brainiac 1.0 chapter as "Elvis does not die." I need more sleep.**

Brainy POV

Kreela is extremely kind to me, especially considering she barely knows me. When I question her on the topic she replied by stating that she hadn't been thinking about what I might have been doing, just that I looked like I needed help. Although I feel as if there is more to it, I can't thank her enough for her kindness.

Still, this is all somewhat… surreal. I don't quite comprehend what happened to me after I had kicked Brainiac out of my mind, but I can only assume that my present condition is a result. It doesn't feel like it's really happening, almost like I'm floating, as if it were a dream. That's how I know it's real, because I would not be capable of dreaming if I were still the same robotic Brainiac 5 I once was _,_ I could only subconsciously sift through my programming.

I'm not sure why, but I tell Kreela everything that has happened over the past few months, from accepting the Brainiac programming to when Superman and Kell had entered my mind, which, aside from waking up on her ship, was my most recent memory. I trust her, yet I barely know her. It unnerves me. I briefly wonder if she is an agent sent by some unknown enemy of the Legion whose mission is to gain my trust, then take the Legion out, but I quickly dismiss the idea. Somehow I know she isn't lying to me, and the plan would be so flawed considering my present situation that it seems like none of the Legion's adversaries would be so dense as to come up with it.

Some would say that it is foolish for me to agree to stay with someone whom I do not know and have little to no reason to trust. My argument would be that she took me in and made sure I was safe at a time where I was utterly defenseless. If she had wanted me dead, or otherwise incapacitated, she could've easily achieved that during the time I was sleeping on her ship. If those people could say that after something like that, they would still be skeptical and prefer the cold void of space to living on a small ship with someone who seems to be a decent person, I would call them crazy.

Although Kreela claims that I slept for nearly two days after she found me, I am still exhausted. I can barely stay awake long enough to finish telling her about everything I'd been through in the last few months. She helps me back to the small nook that serves as a bed in the med-bay and orders me to get some rest. I see her leave the med-bay and give me one final worried glance before I give in to the black abyss of sleep.

 **yes, it's short. sorry. if y'all really want more let me know by reviewing, I'll post the next chapter once I get two or three reviews on this one.**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: This chapter is slightly confusing. I promise it'll make sense when the next chapter is up...**

* * *

 _I look around the unfamiliar landscape, confusion clearly displayed on my face. It's misty, with green foliage hanging down, obstructing my view. I move to push it out of the way, only to have it shy away from me. I feel small vibrations in the air around me, tickling my sides. The Forest is laughing at me._

 _I wonder what kind of strange Forest this could be if it has an ability that makes it almost human, that allows it to laugh. A breeze lifts the branches away for a moment, allowing me to see what lies beyond their protection. All I see is Red. It is so mesmerizing that it sickens me._

 _Red._

 _Red!_

 _RED!_

 _I have to practically tear my eyes away it is so captivating._

 _'look, look'_

 _A little voice in my head urges me to look, to turn around and face the Red._

 _"I don't want to!" I yell. My voice echoes as if I am in a large cavern, even though all other evidence lead me to believe that my surroundings were the Forest. It makes me feel completely alone. It makes me feel small, utterly insignificant. I admit to myself that I am frightened, but the thought brings me no comfort._

 _'look, Look,' the voice demands, louder this time._

 _An invisible force pulls me towards the Red. The branches of the Forest attempt to move away from me and keep me within their safety, but the force of the Red is far too strong. I am pulled through the branches, sticks scratching my face, opening little slits in my skin._

 _"No! Stop!" I cry out for help, but I receive no reply. Suddenly I realize that the reason I felt entirely alone is because I_ am _entirely alone._

 _The Forest reaches for me. I can hear the branches groaning and splintering with the effort of trying to keep me back. It's trying to save me from the Red. The Red is mesmerizing. The Red is captivating. The Red is calling for me, its sinisterly sweet song playing through my head. The Red is calling for me, demanding that I come, insisting that I resign to it._

 _I can feel the whispers of those before me, those who walked the same dreadful path. They are telling me that it's too late, that I shouldn't have looked beyond the Forest._

" _Look, Look!" The voice commands me. I feel it in me, an ancient and evil desire. I continue to resist in any way I can._

 _I feel the branches and vines that had been holding me back snap. It sounds like a thousand violins being smashed, becoming nothing more than splinters of wood. The Forest… the Forest… the Forest. I want to get up, go back to its safety, to sit among the branches without a care in the world._

 _The Red is strong. The Red tears those thoughts from my head, replacing them with itself, with Red. Soon all I see is Red, all I feel is Red, and all I can think is Red. The Red is suffocating me, killing me. The Red is a parasite, hollowing out those who are foolish enough to spare it a glance. The Red pulls me ever forward, and I have become too weak to resist. The Red pulls me out of the forest, completely consumed by it. I have become a puppet of the Red. The Red does not want puppets, or lifeless shells to do its bidding. No, the Red does not want an army, because the Red is an army in itself. The Red only wants territory, and it destroys anything and anyone that does not fit its image of what the Red is, it destroys the Forest. It kills without remorse, it has never known another way._

 _The Red continues to mercilessly pull me forward, toward some unknown destination. I feel the pull grow ever stronger as my resistance grows even weaker._

 _I want to cry, but the Red will not allow it. The Red denies me the simplest things, even my own emotions._

' _I don't want this! I don't!' I try to yell but I only succeed in letting out small, choked noises. That voice is not my own, and it angers me._

 _It is then that something awakens inside me, I do not know what; something primitive. I fight, not with my mind, but with the very fiber of my being. The Red is trying to take me. I cannot let it take me. Cannot let it take me, cannot, cannot, cannot! I let out a feral growl and pull back with all my might, which admittedly is not much. The Red tugs at me, however it no longer has a death grip on me. It pulls on me and I pull back. I stumble forward, resisting the pull of the Red with all my strength._

 _I am near the edge of a cliff. I can register that much. The Red wants to pull me over. I do not fit with its twisted image of perfection. I attempt to pull back, and the Red pulls me harder, forward over the edge, through the Red and into the Black._

 _"No…no… not like this. Please, any way but this!" I cry out, begging with some invisible force that this might not be my end._

 _"Please, no! Please!" I can feel something hot and wet streaming down my cheeks. I am crying. It is such an odd sensation to have while falling through the endless Red and Black. It makes me feel more… human. I almost smile at the sadness in that statement. It is fitting that I would feel the most human when I will undoubtedly meet my end._

 _The Black grows ever closer, and I know that there will be no escape. I am going to die._

 _"No! No! Nooooooo!" I scream as the Black engulfs me in its complete nothing, as what I once was becomes part of the Black, the eternal abyss from the Red._

* * *

"Nooooo!"


	7. Chapter 6

Kreela POV

I hear a cry from the med-bay where Querl is staying.

"Nooooo!" He screams. He sounds terrified, as if he just experienced his own death.

I jump down the ladder leading up to my loft and run straight towards the med-bay.

"What's wrong?! Are you alright?!" I ask as I run up to Querl.

He's curled up, hugging his knees to his chest and sobbing quietly. His eyes glow a pale purple color, but he squeezes them shut, and by the time he reopens them the glow is gone.

I sit there next to him, whispering quiet, soothing words in his ear for nearly an hour, holding him close. The whole time he does not stop shaking and whimpering quietly, whispering the same words over and over to himself.

"No no no no no, please no, please…" He begs, shaking with the strain that comes from crying.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, it was only a nightmare. You're safe, it's alright…" I continued to whisper these words to him over and over. He sobbed, taking deep breaths and hiccupping, exhausted with the effort it took for him to stay awake. I briefly wonder if his dream had anything to do with the wreckage he was in, if somehow his ship had been destroyed by someone or something and he fabricated some elaborate story like the one he told me to keep himself from reliving the trauma.

"It's alright to go back to sleep. I'll stay with you." I promise him.

He looks up at me, fear in his eyes.

"Can you keep the nightmares away?" He asks desperately, sounding like a frightened child. He's begging with his eyes; full of longing. Right now, he trusts me with his life. He needs someone to keep him anchored in the universe.

"I'll do my best." I reassure him.

Querl nods shyly and pulls the blankets back over himself. I grab his pillow, putting it in my lap, then pat it to show him it's okay for him to lie his head back down. He does so, sniffing every now and then. I stroke his hair in what I hope is a soothing manner. I don't quite know what to do in this situation, I didn't have anyone who really qualified as a caregiver in my life. I can only hope that Querl is comforted by my presence.

My other hand sits next to me, unused. He reaches for it, but then decides against it, hoping I hadn't noticed. I had, however, and I grab his hand. He lets out a relieved sigh and closes his eyes. About twenty minutes later he is sound asleep, and I haven't the heart to leave him, especially if he were to have another nightmare. Eventually I also fall asleep, slumped against the wall in the med-bay. I look at Querl before I doze off completely, hoping that he will sleep peacefully until morning.

He didn't have another nightmare that night.

* * *

 **A/N: Short one. Next week's chapter will be late, I have exams. Sorry 'bout that. If people leave some reviews I will post the next one over the weekend rather than making you all wait.**

 **~NLIT**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: I had my last exam today. I'm officially on summer vacation! Maybe this means I'll get to write more, maybe not…**

 **Anyway, here's the next chapter of Galactic Hope as celebration I have a whole bunch of really short pointless bits I wrote to relieve stress as well, mostly about Al, because Insanitysmenace on Deviantart drew me an AMAZING drawing of him! I was inspired. There's not much on their page, but they drew an accurate and beautiful picture of Al and they have some pretty awesome sketch concepts. Go check them out!**

 **I now dedicate this chapter to Insanitysmenace, also known as here on FanFiction. They have left some awesome reviews, which I appreciate .**

Brainy POV

I awake to a rather strange sensation. I feel extremely self-conscious, like I've been thrust onto a stage but I don't know my lines. I realize that this is the feeling one gets when being watched.

I open one eye a bit and look up. Kreela is looking down at me. She laughs when I look up at her, due to the bewildered look on my face.

"Mornin' sleepyhead." She greets me.

"Um…" I reply, sounding intelligent as ever. I sit up in an attempt to gather myself, and Kreela then rises. I realize that I had my head in her lap, and I feel even more self-conscious. I have come to the conclusion that I don't like being so self-conscious.

Kreela laughs again, louder this time, a large smile lighting up her features. This is the first time I've really had a chance to study her. She has short, chocolate brown hair and pale skin. Her eyes are warm, dark brown in color. Her face is somewhat oval shaped, which her nose fits perfectly. She is thin but strong, and is about my height. Currently she is in turquoise pajama bottoms and a lavender top. I can't help but notice that she is beautiful, even in her pajamas. My face goes hot with what I assume is embarrassment. I frown and decide I don't like embarrassment.

"Do you remember any of last night?" She asks.

"What happened last night?" I ask sleepily.

She looks at me, clearly concerned. I don't understand why though, and it's rather bothersome for me when I don't understand something. I make no effort to hide my confusion, and with that her concern only grows.

"Well? Will you tell me?" I ask, much more alert than I had been only moments before.

"You had a nightmare." Kreela says, clearly not wanting to elaborate.

I figure it's probably for the best, as I have heard that some nightmares can be rather horrifying, and I have no desire to relive whatever happened by attempting to remember last night.

She then turns to me and smiles, although it is somewhat forced. It's almost as if she's become wary of my presence. I soon shake off the thought, seeing as she barely knows me and therefore has little to fear from me. If anything, I should be the one fearing her; she could kick me out whenever she wishes.

I frown at the thought. She wouldn't do that, would she? I feel overwhelmed by my thoughts, all contradicting one another. Before, this never would have happened to me. I was a being based purely on logic, my thoughts all followed one pattern. Once I had decided on my position my thoughts all matched that ideology, they never went against one another. Now that I could feely contradict all my thoughts as I wished, even though it was rather overwhelming and almost always accidental, it was also exhilarating. I knew that I was in control if I was capable of such a confusing feat.

I contemplate whether or not I should try to explain this to Kreela, but since I don't completely understand it myself, I decide it's best to just keep my confusion to myself.

Apparently, all of my thoughts had shown clearly on my face, because I am pulled out of them by the sound of Kreela's laughter.

I turn to her, bewildered. "What?!" I demand.

"Nothin'," she begins, "your expressions are just funny. You'll be all confused-looking one minute and the next you'll have a satisfied smirk on your face, like you've just answered the hardest math problem in the universe or discovered the last digit of pi." She says, continuing to laugh.

I pout at this discovery, which only causes her laughter to intensify.

"You don't have much good experience interacting with people, do you?" She asks.

I shake my head and smile nervously.

"Me either. That's why I left my homeworld." She says, surprising me. "We can be social outcasts together!" She declares. "You really do need to work on your poker face though." She informs me as she walks off to the kitchen to grab breakfast. I follow, realizing just how hungry I am. I watch as she fries the eggs in a frying pan on the small two-burner stove. I'll have to remember to ask her to teach me that. She sets out two plates with toast on them, then serves the eggs and motions for me to start eating.

I speak before I can even fully form the question in my mind. "What's poker?" I ask.

Kreela laughs, waving her hand dismissively. "Now that is a conversation for another day." She says between laughs.

"Oh." I reply, disappointed. I had heard Bouncing Boy use the expression before but I never knew what 'poker' actually was, and I had never cared to know until now.

"We stop to get supplies today." Kreela says through a mouthful, pulling me out of my thoughts. "You and I are both going to do odd jobs. We need credits."

"Okay, I think I can do that." I say. After all, I have a twelfth level intelligence. How hard could it be?

She smiles as she finishes her meal, then heads over to the cramped cockpit. "I'm settin' her down!" she calls out, referring to the ship.

Once we've landed she unlocks the bay doors and steps out. I'm about to ask where we are, but she addresses the question before I can even form the words.

"Querl, welcome to Rimbor."


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: heh heh, sorry… forgot to post this last week…**

Kreela POV

Once we land on Rimbor I realize how much Querl is going to stand out. His skin is green, for starters, so you could see him from a mile away. He's also clean, which I don't have a problem with since we now live on the same ship, but it's rare to see someone who cares about personal hygiene on Rimbor, the poorest planet this side of Winath . I look around, trying to find an alleyway we can duck into in order to fix this problem. Once I find one, I grab Querl's arm and pull him in. He gives me a look that clearly says "what the sprock," and I wave my hand dismissively to show that I'll explain later.

We reach the end of the alleyway and I immediately grab some of the dirt, throwing it in his face. He steps back, clearly surprised, and spits some out of his mouth.

"What was that for?" He questions, irritated.

"You stand out too much. You're green and you're clean." I say, ignoring how cheesy the rhyme sounds.

"And that's a problem because…?" He asks, trailing off at the end of his sentence, waiting for me to finish the statement.

"It's a problem because Rimbor is a poor and rough world. It's a great place to go and find odd jobs that people are willing to pay whatever they can for, but if you're as neat and tidy as we are, it makes you a target." I snap. "Therefore, we need to get dirty." I conclude.

Querl smirks and bends down, picking up two fistfulls of dirt. I realize what he plans to do a moment too late.

"Hey!" I object as he throws the dirt at me.

"Payback!" He laughs. "Besides, you were the one who said we were too clean-looking. I say a dirt war is the best way for both of us to look like we fit in." He concludes.

"Really?" I question sarcastically.

"It would be the most fun." Querl reasons.

I smirk. "You're on!"

* * *

After we are both sufficiently coated from head to toe in dirt, we set out to find any odd jobs that might need to be done. Querl runs back to the ship and grabs my tool belt. He claims he's better with mechanical jobs than he is physical labor.

"We meet back at the ship once the sun touches the horizon, got it?" I say.

"Got it." He replies.

We then set out to go find whatever work we can that day.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: I will be gone this next week, so the next chapter may be a bit late, idk. Please let me know what you think so far! I think I finally get to writing the Legion POV within the next few chapters…**

9

Brainy/Querl POV

I wander around the streets of Rimbor's capital city. Two people have already tried to pickpocket me, one came up and attempted to just take the tool belt from me and another attempted to pull me into an alleyway to do who knows what. Kreela wasn't joking when she said this was a poor, rough planet. I am silently thanking Karate Kid for all the training sessions in the martial arts that I had deemed unnecessary at the time. I would like to think that I'd make him proud, though realistically I'm average at best.

I've already done quite a few jobs for various different people. Most just wanted some household appliances repaired, as they could not afford to have a professional come to fix them or replace them. What I find strange is how so few have asked how I knew what I was doing. Perhaps they just assumed I taught myself, which, in essence, I did. That must be the way it works on Rimbor, you teach yourself how to make a living.

I'm so lost in my thoughts that I nearly miss the scene going on across the street. A man is trying to take a woman's coat. I realize that it is the same one who attempted to grab my tool belt about an hour and a half ago. I run over and make quick work of him, causing a small crowd to gather and cheer me on. I knock him to the ground quickly, and the crowd cheers, claiming in various languages that he never stood a chance.

A small unit of the few Science Police officers that are stationed on Rimbor come forward to take him away. It figures that they would only show up after the danger has passed. Typical SPs. While they read him his rights he addresses me.

"This is Rimbor, kid. Chivalry is dead here. Doesn't matter what they say anywhere else." He remarks curtly. His voice is gruff, sounding like that of the stereotypical thief.

"I wasn't trying to be chivalrous." I say. "You tried to take my tools earlier and hit me around pretty hard. I wanted to return the favor." I sneer. I resist the urge to spit in his face.

The woman whom he tried to take the coat from can't seem to thank me enough, even after I stated that my actions were more vengeful than chivalrous, but after I make it clear that I want nothing from her she leaves me be.

One of the SPs approaches me and asks who he should have the check made out to. I look at him, confused.

"Excuse me?" I ask voicing my confusion.

"Everyone on Rimbor is either running or trying to catch someone. Sometimes, they'll be in a bar, drunk as a Khundish warrior, see who they're looking for or running from, and won't even remember the encounter. You just caught one of the runners, who happened to have a price on his head. Now tell me who to make the check out to." The officer demands, less friendly than usual for an SP.

"Dox. Querl Dox." I reply.

The officer laughs. "What kind of name is that?" He asks through his laughter.

"What does it matter? Just give me what I've earned." I snap, annoyed. The SPs never liked the Legion, and I can't help but be a bit short with them, even though he doesn't know who I am.

He hands me the check and then goes off to address the others in his unit, telling them to get a move on so they can get the man into custody already.

I look down at the check. 1,250 credits. I wonder what sort of man I caught for him to have a price with four digits on him. I decide that it doesn't matter as long as it can go towards supplies for Kreela and myself. I look at the sun and realize it's almost to the horizon, which is when Kreela said to meet back at the ship. I head off in the direction of the ship, which also happens toward the horizon. I completely ignore how cliché it is, the "hero" riding off into the sunset. I no longer consider myself a hero.


	11. Chapter 10

**Guys, I'm really lacking inspiration here. Halp plz.**

* * *

Kreela POV

"YOU WHAT?!" I scream.

We are back in the ship, and the sun has just gone down. I had made sure the ship is locked up tight and told Querl to wait in the kitchen. Sooner or later I'll have to teach him to operate my ship. I then went to meet with him and count up today's earnings only to find that he had made nearly two thousand credits.

"HOW?!" I ask. "Normally that takes me at least a week*!"

Clearly startled by my reaction he stutters while trying to collect himself.

"I -I, that is, I mean-" He tries to form complete sentences, unsuccessfully. After taking a moment to compose himself, he explained.

"A man was trying to steal a woman's coat, and he had also tried to take my tool belt earlier. It made me angry that I let him off easily enough for him to try and take someone else's belongings, so I went over and stopped him. Apparently he was a wanted man and there was a reward for whoever caught him, which happened to be me." He then reached into one of the belt's pockets and took out the check.

I looked at the check, surprised. "It's not much by modern standards, but it'll get us at least to one of the inner planets with a stable economy. There we can get some jobs for about a month or so and really build up funds. We gotta cash this in before we leave though, no other world is gonna cash a Rimborian check."

Querl nods, then informs me of something that I had never really thought about.

"I have a personal credit account that I can withdraw from. The Legion doesn't know about it, and I never wrote a will, so no one will think anything of it if I withdraw everything over the next few months." Querl explains.

I'm about to ask him why he needed to write a will, but then I remember that everyone thinks that Brainiac 5 is dead. The Legion will undoubtedly be trying to get as much of what was his for a memorial, or possibly just for the credits.

"How much?" I ask.

"I don't know. It's been a few years since I've checked. All my inventions that the Legion couldn't use I either patented or sold, so considering that I've been with the legion since I was nine, and I'm sixteen now, it is definitely a bit more than this." He remarks, smirking as he points to the check.

"Alright, smarty pants," I say, laughing, "tomorrow, we set out for one of the inner worlds so you can access your account as soon as we cash that check. I'm not sure where we'll go from there, but we can figure it out." I conclude.

"Alright, but breakfast first." He bargains.

"Okay, breakfast first." I agree, laughing.

I head up to my loft as he goes over to the medbay and lies down in the little nook.

"Goodnight." I call down the ladder.

A grunt is the only response I get, Querl having collapsed and already being half asleep when he reaches the bed.

I laugh. I want to make a remark about how being a humanoid is tiring, but I'm too tired to think of a clever way to say it, so I collapse onto my bed and welcome the sleep that follows.

* * *

 _*It's the future so I'm assuming that there has been a little more than some inflation and 2,000 credits (which I think is the money system used in the comics) is a reasonable weekly pay 1,000 years from now._


	12. Chapter 11

**Here we are, after 11 chapters, finally getting to the Legion. Enjoy!**

* * *

Cosmic Boy POV

"Rokk, I need you to-"

"Look, Cos, I know you're busy, but-"

"Cosmic Boy! Cosmic Boy! Could you-"

"Everyone QUIET!" I yell. The whole Legion has been in disarray since the events that came to pass in these past few days. It's only been a week since… since we… lost Brainy. Only a week and the Legion is already crumbling.

I sigh and continue speaking. "I know that we're all a little disoriented and upset, and that none of us are ready to make the transition from having a master planner to being almost completely on our own, but Brainy is gone now and the Legion still needs to find a way to move on. We can't just stop, because if we do, all our adversaries will run rampant across the galaxy." I conclude.

"Who says we're upset?" Nemesis Kid asks, venom in his tone. "Personally I think the android was just dead weight on us." He says with a hidden smirk. He's trying to get a reaction.

"You take that back!" Superman yells angrily. Nemesis Kid's smile falters, but only for a moment. He's not sure he wants to take on Superman, even if he can negate the Kryptonian's powers.

"Brainy was twice the Legionnaire you'll ever be! He knew what his name meant, so he wanted to prove everyone wrong! He wasn't like the other Brainiacs!" Superman argued.

"Does it matter? He's dead now." Nemesis Kid retaliates. He then smirks, undoubtedly having another venomous remark coming. "Well, we can't really say that, now can we? He never was alive, so he can't die, only be…" Nemesis Kid pauses, as if he's searching for the right word, "deleted." He concludes with a full blown maniacal grin.

Superman gets up, his eyes glowing red, and Kell does the same. Alariah look as if he's ready to rip Nemesis Kid's head off, powers or no. That was a low blow. I'm about to say something, but Saturn Girl beats me to it. She stands up, face dangerously calm.

"Boys, the last thing we need right now is a division in the Legion. Brainy was one of us, and that's final. We will honor his memory and mourn his loss, but we need to move forward. Not necessarily move on, but forward with our lives. There's still a galaxy out there that counts on us to protect it. That's what Brainy would want us to do." She states. She then turns her attention to Nemesis Kid. "And you need to keep your comments to yourself. You had no intent in those words but malice, and you yourself have never successfully lied to a telepath, so don't waste your breath trying to prove me wrong. Your opinion is not among that of the majority of the Legion, and I doubt the rest of us will be willing to let you off with just a stern talking-to like I have. All you have to do is look at Al, Kell, and Clark. They won't be so kind if someone isn't around to stop them." She concludes, her gaze drifting to the three heroes previously mentioned. Kell and Superman sit down, still glaring at Nemesis Kid, but Al remains standing.

Alariah lets out a low growl, eyes briefly glowing a pale silver color. Nemesis Kid jumps, and Al laughs gruffly. He mumbles something in his native language, probably an insult, then returns to his seat.

"Thank you, Imra." I say, exasperated. "Now, perhaps we can continue our meeting without any further interruptions. Is that clear?" I ask, glaring at the four offenders. Kell and Al return my gaze to boot, Superman sighs but nods, and Nemesis Kid stares at the table, suddenly extremely interested in its patternless covering. "I said, is. That. Clear?" I repeat in a not so friendly tone.

"I heard you the first time. Just chose not to answer." Alariah responds in his thickly accented, annoyed tone.

Kell grunts, neither confirming nor denying me. Superman nods again, and Nemesis Kid replies with a small, subdued "Yes."

"Thank you." I sigh. "We need to find someone who can help Violet with all the tasks she originally helped Brainy with. Therefore, we will be holding Legion Try-Outs in two weeks." I explain.

Everyone in the room groans at this revelation. I knew they would react that way. It takes all my willpower not to join them.

"Look, I know it's not ideal, I don't particularly enjoy them either, but it has to be done if we want to keep pushing forward. We are short handed after the incident with Imperiex. Lots of Legionnaires were injured in battle, and a few are missing." I explain. I then glare at Nemesis Kid, effectively stifling the coming comment, and continue. "And no, it's not because of Brainy. He didn't kill anyone, and everyone who was in the battle reappeared as soon as Kell and Superman defeated him from within. Those who are missing were taken by Imperiex's forces and are probably on the Dominion. We'll send a search team out for them as soon as we have a few new members in our midsts."

Everyone mumbles in agreement after that. They may not like Legion try-outs, but they know that this is the more logical plan of action.

"Alright everyone, get some rest. You'll be called if anything comes up. You're all dismissed." I say. Our first official meeting since the Imperiex incident could've gone smoother, however I doubted it would, I honestly thought it would've gone worse.

"You need some rest too." Saturn Girl says from behind me.

"Someone needs to handle all the bureaucrats on the Council." I sigh. When I haven't been in a meeting or trying to placate some of the more hotheaded Legionnaires, I've been talking with the Council nonstop. I don't think I've had a full night's sleep the whole week since things died down. They want to discuss the future of the Legion, and every day I tell them the same thing: our future is not up for debate, we are an independent organization. We will continue to operate on the principles which we were founded on, fighting for truth, justice, and freedom within the United Planets.

"I'll handle them. You need rest." Saturn Girl concludes. Her tone tells me it's not up for debate.

"Thanks Imra." I say gratefully. Right now, I want nothing more than a nice long nap. I head off to my room and lie down on my bed, instantly falling asleep.


	13. Chapter 12

Saturn Girl POV

I make my way to Cosmic Boy's office, located on the thirteenth floor of the building. Originally, it was on the second floor, because tourists are only allowed to see the bottom five floors of the building and many wanted to see the leader's office, but he moved it soon after Al joined. The Ilearian is superstitious, therefore spending as little time on the thirteenth floor as possible. Cosmic Boy was glad to finally get some peace and quiet, but the rest of the Legion found it pretty funny that he went so far as to move his office. I laugh at the memory, remembering what Brainy had said when he learned that Alariah wouldn't go on the thirteenth floor.

"You fear a number? That is irrational."

Al had then made a remark about thirteen actually being prime, which a couple of us found funny, but Brainy just stood there, more confused than before. Apparently they never told math jokes on Colu.

I reach Cosmic Boy's office and realize that I had nearly been crying. Being the telepath of the Legion, I always kept my own emotions in check so I didn't broadcast them to the rest of the team, but this was just too much, even for me. Legionnaires had died before, just never at the hands of one of their own. The others don't know, but when Kell and Superman got rid of Brainiac, they got rid of part of what made Brainy who he was. They killed a part of Brainy's mind, which had killed him. I hadn't told them this yet, partially because I didn't want them to have the guilt, and partially because it had been my plan that caused this. I hadn't known that it would kill him, yet I still feel as if it's my fault that we don't have Brainy here to talk us through things in his logical, slightly annoyed tone that I never knew I'd miss so much.

I gather myself and head into Cos's office. I know that there are endless vid-link calls from the councils of various planets awaiting me beyond those doors. As soon as I sit down, a notification of an incoming vid-link call from Colu pops up. I sigh. This is the very last planetary council that I wanted to speak with. They will undoubtedly be bitter about losing their Brainiac Child, reprimand the Legion, and attempt to shut us down. Then again, that is basically what every other planetary council has done, so we have nothing to lose. I sigh heavily once more and answer the call.

"Greetings, Legionnaire." The head councilwoman greets me.

"Greetings, councilwoman Nol. To what do I owe this very rare call from Colu?" I question, somewhat snarkily, even though we both know the answer.

"You know exactly what. The Brainiac Child is dead. Colu is displeased, however our annoyance cannot compare to the grief that your Legion must feel." She says in monotone.

I am surprised by her response. She acknowledged that the Legion is mourning the loss of one of their own, unlike any of the other worlds, and Colu is by far the least humanoid of those worlds.

"I… thank you, councilwoman. You are one of few who have acknowledged this." I reply.

The councilwoman continues to speak in her robotic, monotone voice. "I see. Are not the other council members humanoid? They should be aware that you will be grieving, you lost one who was close to you. Surely they have gone through a similar experience." She says. Brainy would often ask questions similar to these, where the answer seems so obvious that it's hard to find. I manage a small smile. Coluans were sometimes very funny, even though it was definitely not their intention.

"Yes, well like you said, they are humanoid, therefore they are imperfect, and they immediately think of how it will affect them, not us." I explain.

The councilwoman grunts in disapproval. She must realize how it reflects on the other council members for acting in such a manner, especially if Colu is the only world that acknowledges the depth of the Legion's situation.

"There is to be a council hearing at the end of the cycle. They wished not to inform the Legion, however the Legion must be there to defend itself. The United Planets cannot survive without the Legion. That much is clear. You will have Colu's support, however displeased we may be. We hope that you will find a way to honor the deeds of the Brainiac Child." Councilwoman Nol informed me.

"What?! That's not right! As citizens of the United Planets we have a right to show up at the council meeting and defend ourselves! They cannot hold this meeting without us." I retaliate.

"Hush, child." Councilwoman Nol says. "That is the very reason Colu has informed you of their plans. You will appear at the meeting, and you will tell them exactly what you think and what is going to happen. The Legion will continue to operate as it has in the past." She says it with such certainty that I believe her completely. I soon realize that she has no way of knowing this for sure, even if logic dictates that this is the most probable outcome.

"How would you know?" I ask.

"Because your Legion is stronger than any of them would like to admit. Set your position, be unmoveable. Often, Colu wins arguments merely because of its unmatched stubbornness. Try to think in a manner that you are right and all of them are wrong, and they soon will see that you are right." She explains.

"So you're basically saying to tackle this problem like a Coluan?" I ask.

"Colu would never tackle anything!" The councilwoman replies indignantly.

I stifle a laugh. Coluan literalism is often really funny. "No, it's a figure of speech. What I meant was, are you saying that the Legion should solve this problem in a manner similar to how a Coluan would?"

"Precisely." She says, with the smallest hint of a smile gracing her normally stoic features.

"Thank you, Councilwoman Nol. I will inform Cosmic Boy of this." I say, relieved that someone is on our side, no matter how unlikely it seemed.

"Farewell, Legion. Make us and the Brainiac Child proud." She says as she cuts the vid-link.

I sigh, but this time it is out of relief. In this storm of sadness and confusion, there is a small amount of calm, brought by the unexpected source of the Coluans. I smile, lost in my own thoughts. I am pulled away all too soon by the notification of another vid-link call popping up. This one is from Braal. I groan, knowing that there is no way that The Braalian council will be anywhere near understanding. They're all like Cosmic Boy. Good people, but they are far too concerned about the public image and internal security to bother with the problems of others. I answer the vid-link call, preparing myself for the worst.

"Saturn Girl, the Legion better have some answers!"

I resist the urge to groan in frustration as I deal with yet another unhappy politician.


	14. Chapter 13

**There's a teeny tiny reference to another show I watch and love in here. Much more recent than LOSH. can anyone spot it?**

Brainy POV

"You need new clothes."

I look up from my breakfast to see Kreela studying my attire, disapproval clearly displayed on her face.

"Waf ong if ay clods?" I ask through a mouthful.

She looks at me, giggling. "Swallow, then speak." She instructs.

I do as I'm told, then repeat my question. "Sorry. What's wrong with my clothes?" I ask.

"Well, you've been wearing the same ones since I found you, almost a week ago. I think you must've been out there at least two days before I came along, and you don't exactly have any luggage with you, so you need new clothes." Kreela explains.

"Oh. I… hadn't really thought about that. This is all still so new to me. Yeah, I guess I do need more clothes." I reply sheepishly.

"Well I'm glad you agree, because next time we stop I'm taking you shopping. You're gonna have at least five different outfits, hopefully more. And you gotta do your own laundry. I can teach you how, but you still gotta do it yourself." Kreela says, somewhat sternly.

"Okay. Where are we going?" I ask.

"Dunno yet. Right now we're just headed closer to the industrial/agricultural center of the United Planets. There are bound to be some nice shops there where you can get clothes, jobs that we can keep for a month or so, somewhere to refuel the ship, and a place for you to access that account you mentioned." She said, listing her requirements for where we would land.

"How about Winath?" I ask.

"I guess so." She replies. "It's relatively close, and does have a few cities where we can get most of those things done, and we could probably bounce around as farm hands for a bit, since Winath is an agricultural world. Good idea!" She says, smiling, planning things out loud. I've noticed that she does that quite frequently.

I can't help but feel a bit of pride for finally being able to provide something to our little team. Krêela has been doing all the planning, cooking, and other work around the ship. So far, our little outing on Rimbor had been the only time I'd done much without following one of her plans. In truth it felt nice to not have to always know what to do next, to let someone else take the reigns for a change. Back when I was with the Legion, the notion would be unthinkable, but I think staying with Kreela has lead me to become more open minded about such things.

"You're getting that look again." Kreela comments.

"What look? Is it bad? Am I doing something wrong?" I ask in a moment of panic.

"No, no. It's not bad. Promise." Kreela reassures me, addressing my little outburst. She then proceeds to explain what she meant.

"You just get this look on your face whenever something happens that you're not used to, which seems to happen a lot. You sorta look like you're pouting, but you're analyzing the situation and deciding if you like it or not. If you like it you get a little satisfied smirk on your face, which is kinda funny, and if you don't you frown and wrinkle your nose. It's funny and adorable in a weird way." She says.

"Oh." I reply, my eyebrows knit together in confusion. It makes sense, I guess. People seem to have different expressions for different emotions or experiences, logically I would do the same. Still, I'm not sure what I think of this new information.

"Hey," Kreela says, grabbing my attention. "No frowny faces. You just did it again and ended with a frowny face. It's nothing to be ashamed of, if you get to know someone well enough you'll notice that everyone does it, in their own way." She says in an attempt to comfort me. I now know how she always seems to be able to know what I am feeling; she sees it in my face.

"Even you?" I ask skeptically.

"Well, I like to think I have a pretty good poker face, but if you know me well enough to spot the differences, then yeah I do." Kreela says with a small smirk.

"What is this 'poker' thing you keep referring to?!" I yell in frustration.

Krêela laughs at my sudden outburst, explaining once she catches her breath.

"It's just a card game. That's all you need to know unless you're over twenty-one." She says, holding back the rest of her laughter. She then heads off to the cockpit of her spacecraft and sets a course for Winath.


	15. Chapter 14

Kreela POV

"Ow. Bright."

I stifle a laugh as Querl attempts to get his bearings. We landed on Winath in the middle of the night, long after he had gone to bed. I crashed in the pilot's seat, too lazy to climb up to my loft. The light had woken me up about fifteen minutes ago. Winath's white sun was pretty bright, and right now none of the shades were down, which wasn't usually a problem. My ship had tinted windows, so no one could see in if they tried.

"Rise and shine, princess." I say.

"'m not a princess. 'M a Brain'ac." Querl mumbles.

"Well then get up, Brainiac." I deadpan.

"Brain'ac fiiiive…" He protests, before attempting to fall back to sleep.

I roll my eyes. No matter how funny it is to watch him struggle with sleep in the morning, he does have to get up. We need to get to work.

I yank the covers off him, and steal his pillow. This definitely got his attention.

"Hey…" he whined.

"Up." I say sternly.

He scowls. "Fine."

"Get some food. We leave in ten minutes to go get you some clothes." I inform him. A noncommittal grunt is his only response.

He makes himself some toast and a bowl of cereal, pretty much the only thing he can make without starting a fire.

I begin thinking about plans for the day. It's about a quarter until eight, Eastern standard Terran (earth) time. I've learned that that's the time standard that the Legion had followed, since my homeworld's time alarmed Querl when he saw the numbers 16:54 on the clock a few days ago. That took a bit of explaining.

I laugh at the thought, then continue to go through the day in my head. We should leave by eight, and could take no more than two hours getting clothes for Querl. Luckily, he doesn't seem like the type to take forever on something like that. Afterwards, we could go find jobs as farm hands. Hopefully we can leave the ship where it is without arousing too much suspicion and live on whatever farms we work at, seeing as it's customary for the farmers to have bunk houses for any hired help.

Satisfied with my plans, I turn to Querl.

"Ready?" I ask, only to find that he had fallen asleep at the table, toast in hand. I sigh. I personally am not a morning person, but this is just getting ridiculous!

"Hey!" I shout.

"-not my fault!" Querl yells, startled, nearly face planting his cereal.

"What's not your fault?" I ask.

"N-nothing. I mean, I've obviously made mistakes, but - what I meant was - I just-" He stutters, unable to complete his thought. Something is obviously bothering him, but the day ahead is so busy that I don't want to deal with anything other than what I've already decided we have to do for the day.

"Alright. If you need to talk to me though, it's not like there's anyone I can go off telling about it." I say, trying to reassure him that anything he tells me will stay secret as long as he wants.

Abruptly changing the subject, he turned toward the door. "Let's go!" He said, trying to be cheerful. "You said you wanted to get things done, right? Off to the city!"

I rolled my eyes. He was definitely hiding something, but right now I didn't care. "Alright fine, Mr. Adventurous, lead the way." I say, smirking.

"Umm, I've never been to this part of Winath. I have no idea where I'm going." He admitted.

I laugh. "That's what I thought. C'mon." I say, leading the way towards one of Winath's few cities.


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hi I'm forgetful…**

Shrinking Violet POV

 _"…In other news, the Legion has once again save the United Planets from seemingly imminent destruction! However, Their victory was not without cost. Legionnaire Brainiac 5 was lost in the battle. The Legion is holding a private memorial service, open only to Legion members and their families. We tried to receive a statement from Legion leader Cosmic Boy, but…"_

"Turn it off." I ordered the radio. It complied, working just as smoothly as everything else in Headquarters.

 _Not for long, though._ I think _. With Brainy Gone, this place will be in shambles within a month._

I sigh sadly. Brainy meant a lot to everyone, whether they knew it or not. He kept our headquarters from falling apart. He fixed anything and everything that broke or went wrong. He always had a battle plan.

He was my best friend.

I resist the urge to break down into sobs. There's no time for me to feel sorry for myself, especially since I'm not the one who died. I need to take up the responsibilities that Brainy had once fulfilled. I know that there is no way I will ever come close to doing as well as he did. I didn't want to admit it at the meeting, but Cos was right. I'm gonna need some help.

Cosmic Boy then walks into the room. I nod to him, acknowledging his presence, but otherwise I keep entirely to myself. However, this doesn't keep Cos from coming over to sit with me.

"We're having tryouts in just over a week." He says.

I sigh. "Yeah, I remember you mentioned that at the meeting. Who's gonna take his place on the board?" I ask. Neither of us need to name who, we both know Brainy was always on the panel of judges.

"That's actually what I came to talk to you about. I talked with Garth and Imra, and we all agreed you're the most qualified to replace him. You don't have to, but it would help a lot of us rest easy, seeing as there were no close second choices." Cos explains.

I smile sadly. "Alright, I'll be on the board then. Anything in particular we're looking for this time?" I ask.

"Yes, actually." Cosmic Boy begins. "We're looking for someone who can help you maintain headquarters and work in the lab. That's another reason we wanted you on the panel. We thought you should have a say." He informed me.

My smile fades as he says those words. "No one can replace Brainy." I reply sullenly. "I don't want another partner, I want my friend back." I get up and leave the room, even though I don't have much of a destination in mind.

Cosmic Boy gently grabs my arm and turns me so I'm facing him again.

"Vi, we all want Brainy back. Al spent five hours searching the wreckage after the battle, looking for signs that Brainy might still be in there. All he found was the chestplate from Brainy's armor." Cos informs me sadly.

I lost it. I started crying and banging on Cosmic Boy's chest, yelling and screaming at nothing in particular.

"It's not fair! All he wanted to do was help people! Why did this have to happen to him, of all the people in the universe?! Why Brainy?!" I kept screaming, and after a few minutes my voice was hoarse.

Cos shakes his head. He doesn't have an answer. He pulls me into an awkward yet comforting hug, not saying anything. After a moment, he lets go.

"We just wanted you to have a say is all. I didn't mean to make you even more upset." Cos says quietly.

I realize that's his way of apologizing, which is something that's always been hard for him. I manage a small smile. No matter how much we complain, the Legion knows that he's a great leader, and an even better friend.

"Thanks Cos, that means a lot." I reply.

He smiles back at me, kind of sadly. Just then, Garth enters the room.

"Hey, there you two are!" He greets us cheerfully. "A group of us who were… a little closer with Brainy… well, we're going out tonight just to talk, get a bite to eat, maybe grab a few drinks… y'know, normal people stuff." He explains. "Wanna join us?"

Cos nods. Garth never fails to lift the mood.

I smile and agree. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."


	17. Chapter 16

Kreela POV

On Winath people tend to be peaceful. Family is a huge part of the Winatanians' life, partially because nearly everyone has a twin, who they only separate from when they marry. Twins are never separated for jobs, trips, or school. There are a few exceptions, of course, but people tend to stick with their twin. That's why it alarmed me when a man walked into the store after us. Only one man, wearing a grey trenchcoat.

Now, Let's be clear on something. I wouldn't have cared if he came in alone and looked like he belonged. A Winathanian born without a twin is fine, It's more common than they'd like you to believe. However, this man was clearly not from Winath. He looked over his shoulder constantly, had short, dark hair, and was so pale you could almost see his veins. Definitely not a farmer. Immediately my telepathic implants began going nuts. It was a silent alarm in my head, screaming "DANGER! DANGER!"

It wasn't until his eyes met mine that I realized how much danger I was in.

Querl must've noticed my distress. He's gotten progressively better at reading my emotions. Looking over at me, concerned, he did the last thing I expected of him. He lied.

"Does your head still hurt?" He asked

I looked at him, astonished. I had no idea where that came from, I hadn't said anything about a headache to him, ever. When I studied his expression, which was masterfully crafted to look like concern, I realized that he was trying to communicate with his eyes. Say 'yes.'

"Y-yeah, a little…" I began.

He nodded and grabbed the couple of outfits we (read: I) had picked out for him, paid the shopkeepers, and left. "Let's go see if we can find a convenience store, they should probably have some medication for that." He informed me as we left.

Once we were a little ways down the block I glanced at him sideways. "I don't have a headache." I hissed.

"I know." He replied.

"Then what-" I began, only for him to cut me off.

"Shh! That man is still following us." He whispered sternly.

My eyes widened. I didn't know who he was or what he wants, but if Querl also got bad vibes from him, and he was still following us, I figured it wouldn't take long for us to find out.

Querl quickly found a "Corner Convenience" store and pulled me inside.

"Okay, answer me this: How were you able to come up with that so quickly? I thought that you were an awful liar!" I whisper-yell.

"Yeah, on my own I'm pretty awful, but I've witnessed an Ilearian craft some pretty believable lies during my time in the Legion. That was one he pulled on me once." Querl explained.

"For what?" I ask.

Querl smirked. "We wanted to get out of a Council meeting."

I roll my eyes. It's hard for me to believe that he was so immature, considering he's a Coluan, but then again, he did mention an Ilearian. Those people are completely unpredictable.

Things are starting to feel a bit safer when the bell above the door clings, signalling that someone has entered the store. Querl peeks around the corner, and immediately ducks back into the aisle we were in. I look at him, worried, and he nods. Trenchcoat man has entered the building.

"Why is this man following us?" He whispers.

"Not us, just me." I reply. Querl gives me a confused look, so I briefly explain. "Look, I'll tell you more later, but for now let's just say I didn't exactly have a permit or the right to leave my homeworld."

Querl nods as if he can relate, and peeks around the aisle once again.

"He's speaking with the cashier. I can't tell what he's saying, he's turned away from us." He informs me.

One of the cashiers suddenly points back in our direction and we press up flat against the aisle, careful not to jostle it around too much. The man's head turns toward us and he narrows his eyes.

"Where you at, Little Girl?" He says mockingly. "You've been bad and stayed out past your bedtime. You'll be in big trouble if you don't cooperate." His voice is even creepier than I remember it. It's cold yet smooth and sends shivers down my spine. I shiver at all the horrible memories that voice holds.

Querl puts a had on my shoulder. "Get back to the ship." He orders. I nod numbly.

He then continues to speak to me in a calm, yet hurried, hushed tone. "Once you get there, wait for me no longer than fifteen minutes. If I'm not there by then, assume that I won't be able to make it back in time and leave without me. Find some place you can stay and I'll try and contact you if I'm able." He says, handing me the bag of clothes.

"But- you-" I stutter.

"It's okay, I have more than a few connections on world." He smiles, looking like there's something I'm not getting. "I'll be fine, really." He says, pushing me towards the back of the store to take the rear exit.

The bell clings as I pull open the door. Trench coat man turns toward the door, but I'm already gone, sprinting back to the ship, praying to whatever higher power there may be that Querl knows what he is doing.


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N: I think Tuesdays are gonna become the regular update days. I've started school again, and Tuesday is the one non-hectic day I have. So, updates will be on Tuesday more often than not.**

Querl POV

Kreela runs out the back door.

Okay. Now I can panic. I have no idea what I'm doing. I look around the small store I'm in, hoping that some sort of inspiration comes to me out of the blue. I'm a newly humanoid, powerless, emotionally unstable Coluan in the middle of a convenience store on Winath.

I'm a Coluan. The smartest Coluan. In one of the best possible workshops for my situation. I have everything from cheap soda to razors at my disposal. I smirk mischievously. Lightning Lad would be so jealous.

Keeping towards the back of the store, I search for anything that I can use to carry around large amounts of amenities. The first thing I find is a pink "Princess Galactia" tote bag. I put aside my pride and grab the stupid thing. I also make a mental note to learn some better insults, something other than "stupid."

Okay, what now? Heavy. Something heavy. Soda bottles! How many? Three, because I can't even.

Something sharp, but not lethal. Does that exist? Dunno. Oh wow pencils. Haven't seen those before. They're already sharpened, but dull. They should work.

Something to use to hit things with. Shovel in the back. Nope, the end is too wide. Hockey stick? What's hockey? Research "hockey" later, use the stick as a weapon.

Rubber bands, razor blades, toilet plunger (I can hear Cham laughing), bag of ice, silly putty, and ribbons. That should do it.

Okay. Now what? How to do this? Tie the ribbons around two of the soda bottles. Oversized nunchucks. Attach a rubber band to one of the pencils. Use like mini bow and arrow with the razor blades. Use silly putty to make sure I don't cut myself. Keep ice and plunger as a backup.

Now the part I'm dreading. Confrontation. I cover the tips of my fingers in silly putty, take out a razor blade, and shoot it at what I think is his dominant hand. My aim is true, hitting the pointer knuckle, and trench coat man cries out in pain.

"AAH! What in the name of-?!" He starts, turning in my direction

*WHAM!*

I whack him in the face with my hockey stick.

"The sprock?!" He yells, facing me.

He looks me up and down, trying to process my appearance. A green kid with bright blonde hair, in a worn out purple and black spandex jump suit (again, I can hear Cham's laughter), carrying a pink "Princess Galactia" tote bag, with blue silly putty covering the tips of my fingers, hockey stick strapped to my back, and two large soda bottles draped over my shoulders, held together by red ribbon. I had also tied a bit of ribbon around my head in an attempt to make myself feel more like a brave warrior. I can neither confirm nor deny if it worked.

"Ah hahaha!" Trench coat man began to roar with laughter. I scowled.

"Oh, haha, hold on, hold on." He said, catching his breath.

"Who or what are you supposed to be?" He questioned after calming down.

"I am Querl Dox. You are after my friend. I do not appreciate that." I respond annoyed, promptly kicking him in the crotch.

"Urg!" He exclaims upon coming into contact with the checkout counter.

"Well, alright then, little boy. Just a warning, if you start a fight with me, you're gonna lose." He says darkly.

I, however, manage to appear unaffected by his remark. "I find that unlikely." I quip, whacking him with my hockey stick once again.

Trench coat man growls and pulls out a switchblade. Crap. I lead him down one of the aisles, which turns out to be the dental hygiene aisle. Thinking fast, I grab a toothbrush, wait for him to lunge toward me, grab him and use his momentum to my advantage, and shove the toothbrush backwards up his nose.

Trench coat man then enlightens me on some of the more colorful extremes of the Interlac language.

"Such language!"I scold mockingly. "Where I'm from, it's a crime to use words so frivolously." I inform him, remembering the stupid Coluan law.

Trench coat man pulls the toothbrush out of his now bloody nose, charging at me again. I hit him in the back of his neck with one of my soda bottles. When he turns to get up, I spray him with another soda bottle I had shaken up. He charges yet again, and this time I simply sidestep him.

"You _do_ know that doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different outcome is the definition of insanity, right?" I ask patronizingly.

He gets up, wipes blood from his face, and then addresses me.

"Kid, do you even know who you're protecting?" He asks.

"Someone who protected me when I needed it most." I reply, ignoring how cliché I sound.

"No, you're protecting an escaped indentured servant. She belongs on the planet M'rall, to the High Military Commander. I've been hired to bring her back. You're getting between me and my business. Kindly step aside." It sounds more like an order than a request.

"No." I say, hoping in sound more confident than I feel.

Trench coat man sighed. "Well, then you leave me no choice. It's a shame, really, I try and keep casualties to a minimum in my line of work." He says regretfully.

The man pulls out a plasma blaster, set to kill, aims, and fires straight at me.


	19. Chapter 18

**I was in a bit of a weird mood when I wrote this. On a completely unrelated note, Does anyone else listen to the Adventure Zone and had their heart broken and simultaneously mended by that glorious finale? Let me know if you do!**

Querl POV

The first thought to cross my mind is that I'm actually going to die. It won't be like before where I managed to hold myself in a digitized state until the danger had passed, or even before that, when I would simply regenerate whatever body part I had lost. I was shot at, with a plasma gun set to kill, in close range. I was going to die.

Imagine my confusion when I didn't.

I saw him pull out the weapon. I saw him set it to kill. I saw him pull the trigger, and I felt the rush of the air as the plasma beam raced toward me. Why wasn't I dead?

I opened my eyes, which I had closed upon realization that I was going to die, and I was met with something I thought I had lost.

My force shield. My glowing magenta force shield, hexagonal pattern and all.

Scanning the front of the force shield, I locate the plasma bullet, all burned out. I turn and see trench coat man backed up against the wall in fear, white as a ghost.

"Brainiac! You're a Brainiac!" He exclaims.

I smirk. "I am not merely _a_ Brainiac, I'm _the_ Brainiac. Brainiac 5 to be more precise." I explain. 'Brainiac' is often used as a derogatory term to refer to Coluans. I felt it necessary to correct him.

"No. You- you're supposed to be dead." He says in disbelief.

"What can I say? I'm a ghost." I reply, hoping his people are superstitious.

His eyes widen. I assume that is a resounding 'yes.'

"Boo." I say. He grabs his plasma blaster and points it at me once again.

"Now now, what did we learn last time? Ghosts can't be killed." I chide him.

He lowers his gun skeptically. "What are you going to do?" He asks.

"Nothing, if you leave Kreela alone and tell no one about our encounter." I reply, trying to sound ominous.

"Done." He answers readily, hurrying out of the convenience store.

"Dude, you're not a ghost." One of the cashiers informs me.

"I know." I reply. "Though I would appreciate it if you would keep that a secret from him." I say, gesturing in the direction that trench coat man had left.

"Yeah, cool, but are you, like, gonna pay for all the stuff you broke or what?" He questioned.

I sigh as I get out my wallet. "Yeah…"


	20. Chapter 19

Kreela POV

"Querl's not back yet. Querl's not back yet. Ohmystars, what if Querl doesn't make it back? What if he gets hurt? Worse, what if that man killed him? Oh, stars, please be alright!"

I'm sputtering gibberish as I pace my ship, breathing heavily. I really hope Querl is okay. This wouldn't be the first time someone had sacrificed themselves for my safety. I didn't want another person dead on my account.

How long had it been since I got back to the ship? Querl said to leave if he wasn't back in fifteen minutes, right? It's been seven minutes since I made it to the ship. Would it be the end of the world if I waited twenty?

No. Querl said fifteen. After fifteen, I have to leave, even if he's not back yet.

I choke back a sob. First I lost Leo, then I lost Ama. I couldn't lose Querl too.

"I'm staying right here and waiting for you, dammit!" I yell, slightly embarrassed after I realize that Querl can't hear me.

It's been ten minutes. He's not back. Granted, ten minutes usually isn't that long, but it is if one of your friend's lives is hanging in limbo. I briefly wonder if I should panic yet, but I decide if save that for when fourteen minutes are up.

Eleven minutes. I won't be able to see Querl coming toward the ship, the roads are packed with people. Oh gosh, what if he gets stuck in the crowd? What then?

Twelve minutes. Should I go back for him? No. If I do, I'll be sent back. That's the last place I want to go. I never want to even hear that world's name again!

Thirteen minutes. Grife, what if he needs help, though? What if he's barely holding on? What if he's taking his last breath?!

Fourteen minutes. I start hyperventilating and I curl into myself. I must have failed him! Surely he would've been back by now!

Fifteen minutes.

I should start the ship. No, Kreela, that's the door, the control panel is the other way. Stop walking toward the door, girl! Turn around!

Just as I reach the door, it swings open away from me. I step back, and grab a wrench, ready to fight. I drop it almost as soon as I grab it, nearly crushing my toes.

"You're okay!" I cry as I leap into Querl's arms, sobbing.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I beat him with silly putty and a toothbrush." Querl responds.

I smile and continue to sob into his arms. "I'm too relieved to care about what that could possibly mean!" I exclaim.

Querl smiles. "Alright, well, it's one heck of a story whenever you're willing to listen." I nod and hug him tighter

Querl takes a deep breath. He's got something to say that I won't like. I can tell.

"It sounds like you do too." He ventures.

"Huh?" I ask.

"From what little information trench coat man gave me, it sounds like you've got one heck of a story to share as well." Querl explained.

"Oh… yeah, kinda." I reply timidly.

Querl nodded. "I told you my story, so I'd like to learn yours." He informed me.

I made a face. I do not like that story.

"It doesn't have to be right now!" Querl adds quickly. "I don't need to know right now, just whenever you're ready." He assures me.

I sigh. "I'm never gonna be ready to tell that story, now's as good a time as any." I say, defeated. "Come on, let's go sit down. It's a long one."

* * *

 **Next chapter y'all will finally get some background on Kreela! Yaaaay**


	21. Chapter 20

Kreela POV.

 ** _Italics is a Flashback_**

 **Warning for minor character death.**

* * *

" _Kreela, run! Keep running and don't stop!"_

"Leo was my best friend. I had kinda hoped one day maybe we could be more than friends. We tried to escape that awful place together. We were both indentured servants to the High Military Commander on M'rall. He was a brutal man. He showed no mercy, and didn't hesitate to make an example out of someone when they had stepped out of line."

" _Do you know what happens to runaways, boy?!"_

"… _n-no sir…"_

" _What was that?!"_

" _N-no. No, sir."_

 _I watched in horror as my best friend and only confidant was stabbed in the throat, left to suffocate or bleed out, whichever happened first. Tears ran down my cheeks as I stared, open mouthed, unable to look away. I was seven years old._

" _Let him be an example to all of you."_

 _The High Commander then addressed me coldly. "And_ you _be glad that you're more valuable than him. I won't be so kind as to spare you again."_

"I was the equivalent of a military nurse. My only purpose was to tend to anyone who was sick or hurt, whether it be mentally or physically. If I didn't perform to whatever standards the Commander had set, standards I was never informed of, I would be punished."

" _Little girl, where have you been!?"_

" _I-I-"_

" _Your absence is inexcusable. If you had been here, perhaps I would not have lost so many soldiers."_

" _I- I can't work if I don't sleep…"_

" _I said your absence is inexcusable. Your implants serve the purpose of alerting you when you are needed. If you can sleep through them, then perhaps I need to raise the intensity."_

"My telepathic implants were put in when I was three. Originally, they would just alert me whenever I was going outside of my boundaries, but as I grew older, they would alert me of the emotions of those around me, and they would practically scream in my head if I was late, if I failed in my duties, if someone in my care was in distress, basically if anything went wrong and I could have even remotely anything to do with it, I would be alerted. The alerts ranged from small pings in the back of my mind to intense screeches, loud enough to make me want to curl up and die.

" _What are you doing, child?"_

" _I-I'm sorry, Ama. I like to make things, like you do. I… I wanna do that when I get big."_

" _Little child, we don't get to chose what we want in this world, you and I. We do as we're told and hope to live through the night._

"Ama was the closest thing I had to a mother. She was the mechanic, it was her job to fix anything that belonged to the Commander if and when it broke. Of course, she wasn't the only one with the job, but it was still demanding on her time. She raised me best she could, a debt I can never repay. She was old, though, and the day the Commander decided she was no longer useful was the saddest day of my life. It was also the day I decided that I would leave, like Leo and I had tried to do, but that I would only come back once I became powerful enough to spit in the Commander's eye."

" _Little girl, what are you doing?"_

" _A-Ama said I have a name. What is my name?" This was the question I had been asking non stop for almost two years. Anyone who knew Ama was fair game, even if I had already asked them._

" _Child, I told you before, we aren't allowed to be given names if we don't have the proper papers. Whatever name Ama had given you, she kept it to herself."_

"I was thirteen before I learned my name. I had already made all other preparations for my departure. All I wanted to know was my name. I knew if I left without a name it would be suspicious. The only reason that Ama and Leo had names is because the community had given them to them, and we never used them in front of the Commander. Ama means 'motherly' and Leo meant 'mischief.' Leo got his name because he was notorious for causing small mishaps that couldn't he traced back to him. He never got in trouble, until that day he convinced me to try and run away with him. He really did live up to his name."

 _I tugged on a shirt sleeve for what felt like the hundredth time that day._

" _Excuse me? Do you-" I gasped at who I had just interrupted. It was the Commander's daughter._

" _I'm sorry miss! I didn't realize-"_

" _No, it's alright. What were you going to ask?"_

" _I… I was wondering if you knew if I had a name…" I answer timidly, expecting to be reported and punished._

 _She smiled sweetly. The Commander's daughter had always been kind. "Your name is Kreela."_

 _That night I whispered it to myself over and over again. Kreela. 'Spark.'_

 _It was then that I knew I would leave by the end of the week._

"After I left, I lived in constant fear of being caught. Jax, the trench coat man, nearly caught me on multiple occasions. He usually caught up to me when I was scavenging a wreckage for spare parts or food. I thought I had finally outrun him a few months ago. I was on my own in space for nearly two years before approaching a particularly strange wreckage, a wreckage where I found a strange green boy that would quickly become my friend."

* * *

 **I made up the meanings of the names y'all. There's no source or anything, just my imagination *insert spongebob meme here***


End file.
